It’s not quite spring yet, but it’s close enough. It certainly FEELS like spring, even if the calendar tells me otherwise. I’M SO READY FOR THIS WEATHER. I love it. I’ve probably said this before, but I always look forward to winter, only to end up hating it just a few weeks into the season? So, yeah – I’m glad it’s almost spring, and I’ve already noticed the ways in which the changing of the seasons has begun to affect my life.

I’ve been waking up earlier. I set my alarm for seven or so most mornings this winter, but some days I didn’t get out of bed until almost an hour later because waking up at seven only to find that it’s still dark outside is MISERABLE. I’m bad with directions so I have no idea which way my room faces but at any rate, my roommate and I can’t see the sunrise from our window, which makes it even worse. BUT NOW IT’S GETTING LIGHTER EARLIER. YAYYY. I’m beginning to not need an alarm anymore, because the light wakes me up all on its own. It’s lovely.

I’ve been going more places, and going to them more often. Although Iowa City didn’t receive much snow this winter, it is a very windy place in the winter, and I pretty much just went to class for a few weeks because it was so bitterly cold outside. I didn’t really go anywhere else.

Now I find myself leaving for class a few minutes earlier than I normally would so that I can stroll along one of the paths near the Iowa River, watching the water and the squirrels and birds hopping about nearby. I take longer routes to get to class now, instead of hurrying there as fast as I can, huddled inside my coat.

I’ve been reading more often because I’ve been going to the library more often. I barely read anything this winter because although the library is less than a five-minute walk away, some days it was so cold and windy that I didn’t feel it was worth bundling up and trudging over there just to pick up the one or two books I’d requested that were finally available. I kept requesting books, only to change my mind later on and let the request expire because I never made it there in time to pick up my books.

I feel more alive when I read. Fiction fills my mind with fantastical causes me to get lost in my imagination, while nonfiction engages my brain and makes me think critically. I missed curling up in our big squishy chair to read in the mornings as I slowly become more awake, or in the evenings after I’ve finished my homework in order to wind down in time for bed. I’ve been reading only the assigned texts for school for too long now, and it’s good to change things up.

Pretty soon it’ll be warm enough for me to read outside – and shortly thereafter, the ground will lose some of its dampness and become dry enough for me to sit or lie on the ground with a book or two. I love reading outside, and luckily the Pentacrest – AKA a huge green area containing some of the university’s oldest buildings – is located less than a minute’s walk from my dorm!

I’ve been more motivated to exercise lately, too. The gym isn’t that far from my dorm bu as with the library, some days it just didn’t seem worth the effort. However, now I’m perfectly happy to walk over there in the warm sunshine, and I’ve even run outside a little bit!

I’ve started to dress more nicely as of late. I don’t own many nice winter clothes – I need to buy some sweaters whenever they’re on sale – so I basically live in hoodies and sweatpants and jeans in the winter. I love my button-down shirts but they’re not warm enough to wear in the winter! It’s warm enough now, though, so I’ve been wearing them and even putting on jewelry and makeup and stuff.

Side note: Why are women’s button-downs, and by extension women’s clothes, always so shoddy? Why are they so THIN? Why don’t they have functional pockets?! I know it’s a lesbian cliche but I really need to find a thrift store or something in Iowa City and buy a bunch of second-hand men’s flannel shirts because I can’t even find women’s plaid button-down shirts made out of flannel! #rude

Anyway, as I was saying: I love that spring is almost here. I love that the weather is a little warmer each day. I love being able to open the window and leave it that way all day without getting cold. Doing something as mundane as sitting at my desk doing homework is so much more tolerable when you can smell and hear the outdoors!

I LOVE SPRING.

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I wrote this post a few days ago while I was still at school – I’m on spring break now, and enjoying every bit of it. SPRING SPRING SPRING SPRING SPRING. My plans mostly involve reading and, of course, taking lots of walks because IT’S WARM OUTSIDE YAY.

Oh, I almost forgot: The title is a reference to Daylight Savings Time, which begins tomorrow when we shift all our clocks an hour ahead – or in other words, “spring forward.” I couldn’t think of anything else clever, SO. (Also, does DST even exist in other countries? I’m really curious now.)

P.S. Check out my latest article for Her Campus at the University of Iowa – a profile of my friend Mary, who is the president of Spectrum UI, AKA my school’s LGBTQ+ group and my favorite student org!

10 Responses to Springing Forward

Yes! I am so ready for spring too! We’ve had a couple days this last week that were sunny and warm but this weekend it turned back to rain. 😦 I love rain but I’m also done with it.
I’ve been slowly buying more t-shirts and tank tops for spring and summer. As much as I love sweatpants I’m ready to move onto new clothes lol. 😀
Yay spring! 😀

Congratulations on having spring arrive! (congratulations doesn’t seem quite right since you didn’t — as far as I know — personally bring it about, but you know what I mean, hopefully). BUT THIS ALL SOUNDS SO NICE I GOT HAPPY JUST FROM READING IT.
P.S. Canada has DST but Nigeria doesn’t.

Yeah, shoddy women’s clothing makes me want to buy my clothes from the men’s section. Gah.
Also, I like Spring so much. With the longer days I feel like I can get more done, and although I’ve still got the mentality that with the night comes the (rushed) work, I like walking home with the sun blazing, and coming home to golden rooms. It’s brilliant.

I’ve been enjoying spring weather for the past week or so, but according to the weather channel, my town’s expected to get ten inches of snow this Sunday night, which, well, damn. That sucks. I mean, we’ve barely gotten any snow all year and now we get the storm we’ve been expecting for months? Life is unfair.